By Dawn Poker
Knowing your philosophy of leadership can be a great starting point for thinking about how to be more effective in coaching others at your credit union, according to Carol Schillios of Schillios Consulting Group, Edmonds, Wash. Not surprisingly then, she started her session at the May meeting of the CUES Florida Council by asking attendees, largely CEOs: “What is your leadership philosophy?”
Their answers included “empowerment,” “hands-off” and “each employee is responsible for creating value for themselves.”
Schillios identified several types of leaders, each with its own philosophy:
- Counsel – problem-solving guide
- Mentor – holder of unwritten insights
- Tutor – promoter of ongoing skills improvement
- Motivator – provider of encouragement and inspiration
- Performance changers – supplier of positive development feedback
Regardless of philosophy, best leaders operate from several strategies by:
- focusing on behaviors and issues
- listening interactively
- uncovering issues and concerns
- acknowledging emotions and positions
- focusing on issues
Translating leading to coaching, it is imperative to understand behaviors, which describe measurable actions and not make inferences about motive, feelings or attitudes, Schillios emphasized. When you describe someone’s behavior, don’t imply an event or action was right, wrong or indifferent.
Schillios gave a list of reasons that employee behaviors don’t change:
- Unclear rationale/reasoning
- No consequence for behaviors
- No positive rewards
- Lack of tools/skills
- Person does not know what to change or how to go about changing because leader cannot articulate in a way that employee understands.
So what is your leadership style? What strategies do you use? What could you change to make your coaching more effective?
Dawn Poker is CUES’ SVP/chief sales and member relations officer.
